(Photo courtesy Orlando Fringe)
This show contains Adult Language, Audience Interaction.
Ginger Minj is a star. That’s not exactly breaking news. But “Big Gay Cabaret” reminds audiences that underneath the “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” winner is an Orlando performer who hasn’t forgotten where she came from.
And what a performer she is.
Ginger’s voice is gold. She’s funny, quick-witted and masterful off the cuff, even effortlessly navigating a particularly spirited — and increasingly drunk — demon twink audience volunteer.
But the heart of the show is Ginger’s love for her Orlando family, and that love goes both ways. She takes the stage in a Marcy Singhaus gown once worn by Miss Sammy and resurrects a classic bit from Doug Ba’aser’s shows, honoring the beloved Orlando entertainers while adding her own considerable star power. Throughout the evening, there was nothing but love in the air. Love for Ginger, from Ginger and for the community that helped shape her.
Musically, the show is phenomenal. Ginger’s “Poor Unfortunate Souls” begs the question: How is she not starring on Broadway in an Ursula origin story?
“The Origin of Love” from “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is stellar, while a medley of rainbow songs culminates in a delicate, Judy Garland-inspired “Over the Rainbow” worth the price of admission alone.
Ginger closes with “I Am What I Am” from “La Cage aux Folles,” the kind of performance that follows you out of the theater, humming along.
Orlando is lucky Ginger Minj still calls it home. She deserves every good thing coming her way because, with performances like this, that’s exactly what she gives back. You do not want to miss this!
See “Ginger Minj’s Big Gay Cabaret” at Renaissance Theatre Company on Sept. 12 at 4:00 p.m.
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